In the early morning hours of December 8, 2019, a tragic confrontation in an east Las Vegas neighborhood resulted in the death of 25-year-old Hispanic male Daniel Garcia III. The incident unfolded around 6 a.m. on the 5700 block of Shinyleaf Circle, near South Sloan Lane and East Charleston Boulevard, after Garcia's father was awakened by a noise outside their home.
Looking out a window, he saw a man inside his pickup truck.
As the father went outside to investigate, Daniel Garcia III followed him. A struggle ensued between Garcia's father and the suspect inside the truck. The father reported seeing the man holding a gun wrapped in a blue bandana and then heard a gunshot. Immediately after the shot, his son, who was standing behind him, cried out in pain. Garcia III had been shot in the abdomen.
Family members were able to detain the suspect until police arrived. Daniel Garcia III was rushed to University Medical Center, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. The Clark County coroner's office later confirmed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the abdomen and ruled it a homicide.
Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Benjamin Smith of Las Vegas and took him into custody. During the struggle with Garcia's family, Smith had reportedly shot himself in the leg and was treated at a hospital before being booked into the Clark County Detention Center. At the scene, investigators found a. 357-caliber revolver and a blue bandana with two eyeholes cut into it. Nearby, they also discovered a wallet containing a Nevada ID card belonging to Smith. He was subsequently charged with murder, attempted murder, and burglary.
